Team USA Is a Prototype for the Future of Global Basketball
How LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, A'ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu are inspiring millions on the world stage.
The pressure for Team USA basketball to perform at the 2024 Summer Games is staggering. The women’s team has won nine Gold Medals since becoming an Olympic sport in 1976—including an incredible seven straight—while the men’s side is the most successful ever in international competition, earning 16 golds, one silver and two bronzes since 1936. As heirs to greatness, few other teams in the Olympics arrive with the same weight of expectation. And, as of publication, both teams have delivered.
It’s impossible to ignore the energy Team USA has brought to the French capital, whether it’s Anthony Edwards doing Anthony Edwards things against Costa Rica, Devin Booker hanging out with Nyjah Huston at a skate park or Sabrina Ionescu and Brittney Griner making the “shush” hand gesture during their victory over Belgium. In short, Team USA has been doing what it does best since before the Olympics even started: blending peak sporting spectacle with cultural flashpoints. Yet today’s athletes are building upon the achievements of their forerunners, namely the 1992 Dream Team, 2008 Redeem Team and the literally sweeping success of the women’s teams since 1996.